Sunday, 15 July 2012

Reuben found one of Rock HQ's closely guarded secrets today. Laurel and Hardy have been resident for a while now, getting used to the goings on here at the smallholding. As soon as phase 3 of the fencing project is complete they will live in a tree house (under construction) the orchard side of the garden.

I think he was trying to impress Reuben with this dazzling display, pity he's going to lose them all in a couple of months in the autumn moult.

A few minutes of the day was spent making batch two of Elderflower Cordial as batch one was very successful and going down fast as its soooooo delicious. Since posting that I had been up at sparrows fart collecting the flower heads as I had always been told you had to do that to get the best results I have been inundated with more/fresh/contradictory advice and long handed down family elderflower cordial secrets.
So today I waited until midday and collected the flowers from the southerly side of the bonsai mountain dressed as a druid cutting the flowers with a silver blade, held in my left hand, collecting them in a copper vessel in my right while walking backwards around the bushes singing folk songs while listening to thrash metal on my mp3 player, the flowers were washed in rain water collected on a Thursday in any month with an M in it (providing theres a westerly breeze of course) adding sugar (fair trade) and organic lemons squeezed between two hewn granite blocks, stirring it with a newly whittled hazel spoon before covering it with goatskins and leaving it in moonlight for 37 hours, that way I just about encompassed all the advice given. We shall see how it compares to the bung it in a pot and hope method usually adopted.

You held the silver blade in your left hand?!! Do you know nothing? You may as well throw the whole lot away and start again.It does taste great doesn't it? Railway tracks are of course a prime area for Elder to grow and the line to London passes enough Elderflowers at this time of the year to produce uncountable gallons - there must be a business there somewhere!Nothing like a cold Elderflower fizz on a hot summers day although I'm currently watching one of the two remaining chickens (thanks Mr Fox) battling, head down across the garden, against a gale of rain and wind, trying to get to the bird table where a flock of Sparrows are gamely hanging on by their beaks!